The outdoor industry's transition away from fluorocarbon-based DWR treatments has been one of the most significant shifts in gear manufacturing over the past decade. Every major brand now uses PFC-free DWR in at least some products. Patagonia, Arc'teryx, The North Face, Mammut, Rab, and REI Co-op have all committed to eliminating perfluorinated compounds from their supply chains. But what does PFC-free actually mean, how does the chemistry work, and -- the question every gear user asks -- does it perform as well?
The Chemistry Background: C8, C6, and C0
DWR treatments are categorized by the length of the fluorocarbon chain they use (or do not use).
C8 (long-chain fluorocarbons): The original high-performance DWR chemistry. C8 refers to molecules with 8 fully fluorinated carbon atoms. The specific compound of concern is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which was used as a processing aid in C8 DWR manufacturing. PFOA and structurally similar PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) are now recognized as persistent organic pollutants. They do not break down in the environment -- studies have found PFOA in the blood of Arctic polar bears, in rainwater worldwide, and in human blood serum across the global population. The half-life of PFOA in the human body is approximately 3.8 years. It bioaccumulates.
C8 DWR was phased out by most outdoor brands between 2013 and 2015, though it was banned for new production in the EU under REACH regulation in 2020 and is restricted in the US under EPA Significant New Use Rules. You cannot buy new gear with C8 DWR today, but used and vintage gear in circulation may still have it.
C6 (short-chain fluorocarbons): The industry's first response to the C8 problem. C6 chemistry uses molecules with 6 fluorinated carbons, which are too short to bioaccumulate in the same way as C8. C6 does not break down into PFOA (an 8-carbon acid). However, C6 treatment still uses perfluorinated chemistry, and concerns remain about the persistence of short-chain PFAS in the environment. The outdoor industry initially adopted C6 as the "safer" fluorocarbon DWR, and many brands used it from roughly 2015 to 2022.
From a performance standpoint, C6 DWR achieves approximately 80 to 90 percent of the water repellency of C8, but durability (especially to abrasion and washing) is noticeably lower. C6-treated garments typically need reapplication of DWR every 10 to 15 wash cycles versus 15 to 25 for C8.
C0 (PFC-free, zero fluorocarbons): The current industry standard for new gear. C0 DWR contains no perfluorinated compounds whatsoever. Instead, it relies on alternative hydrophobic chemistries, primarily:
- Hydrocarbon-based polymers: Long-chain hydrocarbon molecules that orient similarly to fluorocarbons on the fabric surface but use carbon-hydrogen bonds instead of carbon-fluorine bonds. The C-H bond has higher surface energy than C-F, which is why hydrocarbon DWR is inherently less water-repellent than fluorocarbon DWR -- water beads less aggressively.
- Silicone-based treatments: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and related silicone polymers, which have inherent hydrophobicity from the methyl groups in their structure. Silicone DWR works well on silnylon and can work on other fabrics if properly formulated.
- Dendrimer and hyperbranched polymer technology: Proprietary chemistry used by brands like Nikwax and Grangers that creates a densely branched hydrophobic surface with higher coverage per molecule than linear polymers.
The challenge of C0 DWR is not water repellency when new -- most C0 treatments bead water perfectly well on a clean, newly treated garment. The challenge is durability. Fluorocarbon has a uniquely low coefficient of friction, which means dirt, oils, and abrasion have less effect. Hydrocarbon and silicone DWRs are more vulnerable to contamination and mechanical wear.
Performance Reality: PFC-Free vs Fluorocarbon
Independent testing by outdoor magazines and consumer organizations has produced consistent findings:
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Initial water repellency: C0 DWR is comparable to C6 when tested on a clean fabric surface. Water beads at contact angles of 90 to 110 degrees for C0 versus 100 to 120 degrees for C6 and 110 to 130 degrees for C8. The difference is measurable but barely perceptible in real use -- all three cause water to bead and roll off.
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After 5 wash cycles: C8 maintains approximately 90 percent of initial repellency. C6 maintains approximately 75 to 80 percent. C0 maintains approximately 60 to 70 percent. This is the durability gap.
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After 10 wash cycles: C0 DWR on most garments needs reapplication. C6 may last to 15 wash cycles. C8 could go to 20 to 25.
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Oil repellency: This is where the gap is widest. Fluorocarbons are both hydrophobic (repel water) and oleophobic (repel oil). Hydrocarbon and silicone treatments are hydrophobic but not oleophobic. They do not repel skin oils, sunscreen, or insect repellent the way C8 did. This is why modern PFC-free jackets wet out faster around the collar and cuffs -- body oils degrade C0 DWR more quickly than they degraded C8.
What the Brands Are Doing
Patagonia was the first major brand to commit to PFC-free, announcing in 2015 a goal of eliminating PFCs by 2024. Their current shells (Triolet, Torrentshell 3L, Granite Crest) all use PFC-free DWR. Patagonia has been transparent about the performance trade-off, publishing care instructions that emphasize more frequent cleaning and DWR reapplication than was necessary with C6.
Arc'teryx completed its transition to PFC-free DWR across its entire product line in 2024, including its GORE-TEX Pro shells. Arc'teryx collaborated with GORE on developing an expanded polyethylene (ePE) membrane paired with a PFC-free DWR, used in the revised Beta and Alpha lines. Arc'teryx's care guidance now explicitly states that users should wash their shells more frequently and reapply DWR every 5 to 8 wash cycles -- a significant change from the C6 era.
GORE-TEX itself transitioned its consumer membranes to ePE (expanded polyethylene) with PFC-free DWR. The ePE membrane replaces the expanded PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane that GORE had used since 1976. The ePE membrane itself contains no PFCs, and the DWR applied to the face fabric is PFC-free. GORE's ePE membrane has a lower breathability rating (RET, resistance to evaporative transfer) than the classic PTFE membrane, but the difference is small enough that most users will not notice it.
Rab uses PFC-free DWR across its shell line and has published extensive care guidance on its website. Rab's testing suggests PFC-free DWR performs as well as C6 when applied correctly and heat-activated.
REI Co-op transitioned its house-brand rainwear to PFC-free DWR. The REI Rainier and XeroDry shells all use C0 treatments.
Environmental Context
The motivation for eliminating PFCs from DWR is not theoretical. A 2023 study published in Environmental Science and Technology found PFAS contamination in outdoor apparel to be a measurable source of environmental contamination, primarily through washing (microfibers released into wastewater) and disposal (landfill leachate containing PFAS from discarded garments).
The outdoor industry's PFC problem is small compared to industrial sources (firefighting foam, semiconductor manufacturing, and non-stick cookware production account for the vast majority of environmental PFAS), but it is an industry that markets itself on environmental stewardship. Eliminating PFCs from DWR is symbolically and practically significant even if the absolute tonnage of fluorocarbons involved is modest.
What This Means for Gear Maintenance
The practical upshot for gear users is straightforward:
- Your new PFC-free gear will need more frequent washing and DWR reapplication than your old gear did. This is not a defect -- it is a known characteristic of C0 chemistry.
- Heat activation after washing is essential. PFC-free DWR relies more heavily on thermal reorientation of polymers than fluorocarbon DWR did. Tumble dry your shell on medium heat for at least 20 minutes after washing.
- Spray-on DWR tends to work better than wash-in for PFC-free formulations, because the spray deposits the polymer directly on the face fabric surface rather than throughout the entire fabric.
- Body oils and sunscreen do more damage to PFC-free DWR than to C6. If you wear a collar or hood against your skin, clean those areas more frequently.
- Dirt and grime degrade PFC-free DWR faster than C6. Washing your shell every 10 days of active use, even if it does not look dirty, maintains DWR performance.
How to Identify What Your Gear Has
Garments manufactured before 2022 likely have C6 or even C8 DWR. Garments manufactured from 2023 onward increasingly have C0. Look for labels and hangtags that say "PFC-free," "C0 DWR," or "fluorocarbon-free." Many brands now market this explicitly. Arc'teryx, Patagonia, and Rab hangtags all prominently display PFC-free status on current models.
If your jacket has no information about DWR type, you can make an educated guess from the purchase year: pre-2015, likely C8; 2015 to 2022, likely C6; 2023 onward, likely C0. This matters because it affects how frequently you should wash and re-treat. If you have been treating a C0 jacket on the same schedule you used for your old C6 jacket, you have been going too long between treatments.
The outdoor industry's PFC transition is a work in progress. Current PFC-free DWR is not quite as durable as the chemistry it replaces, and the gap will likely close as formulation technology improves. In the meantime, the maintenance requirement shifts to the user: clean more often, re-treat more often, and accept that gear care is now a more active part of gear ownership than it was during the C8 era.